312 posts in this topic

O.K. So it's taken me a little longer than I thought it would to resuscitate and organize my notes.

Here goes....

Festival--Day One--Sue Sue Is So-So Stressed!

It usually takes me at least two cups of coffee before I can conjugate verbs in English, and I began rushing to get ready in the morning so that I can be "on the set" for my fan perspective interview with Tim at 9:00, which was to take place in the penthouse suite of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, where once upon a time, Gable and Lombard took up residence.

Lynn tells me to "get moving." It was my turn to rule the powder room.

I hear the mambo music playing from my Razorphone. It was the TCM crew in charge of my interview. Would it be all right if they changed me from 9:00 a.m. to Noon? Of course not. I was so nervous, I didn't care if it took place at all. I was shaking, but I had just talked to someone in charge of something at TCM!

I can't decide what to wear. I didn't want to be to spangly-bangly, or flashy-trashy, so I went with my black Misook outfit with the long pants, shell, and jacket with stripes across the shoulders and the little blue-flowered buttons.

But before I could don the outfit, I had to delve into make-up. My hands were shaking so much by the time my foundation had been set with translucent beige powder, that I couldn't draw a straight line with my liner pencil. Then I sneezed, and my eyeliner drooped below the lid. I repaired that line, and then I tried applying mascara, and curled the lashes a little, and sneezed again. Little black marks that looked like bird tracks appeared beneath my lower lids.

Mambo music on the Razorphone again. My son calls from Texas to say he's done well this semester at college. Yay!

I start over. I take makeup remover and remove the tracks, reapply the translucent powder, and begin again all over with the mascara. Curl the lashes. Make some more. I feel another sneeze coming on so I pull by eyelids all the way open so that the little tracks don't make their appearance again. I survived the sneeze with no black birdy tracks, so I proceed to do some more curling.

I'm shaking. I tell Lynn, "I'm shaking so much I can't do my make up!"

Her calm voice reminds me that all will be well. Just hurry up and get ready.

I apply the powder blush, cinnamon peach. I put too much on one cheek. It made me look like one side of me was taller than the other, so I grab a kleenex and smudge some off, and dab a little more translucent powder on it.

I puffled and fluffed my hair a little, and clipped it back with a tortouise-shell- colored clamp. Then I put on my suit, and started to refluff the coif. It was just then that I noticed that one of my nails had chipped, so I reached for the Sally Hansen #230, Hot Cocoa, for a quick repair.

And then we hopped into the car, and Lynn navigated while I tried not to run over any pedestrians. I also was voted by the California Welcome Centers as the tourist driver most likely to be honked at.

Mambo music emanates from my cell. It was Kelli calling to organize the fan perspectives. Can she move me back to 11:00? By this time, I wanted to chicken out all together.

We arrived at the Penthouse Suite and were greeted by the lovely Kelli, a sweet young lady who helped to prep me for my interview. And there were several other folks there who were very nice, but I was so nervous, I forgot their names. I was offered a Diet Coke before my interview, but wished it had been a triple margarita on the rocks with salt on the rim and stability in the stem. No such luck.

I was shaking again.

Lynn spoke some words of encouragement, and I was able to keep my knees from knocking together.

I was introduced to Tim, the fan perspectives director, and we all walked upstairs. O.K. They walked upstairs, and I leaned against the mirrored walls while putting one foot on a step and then another foot on the step above that one.....until I feel like I had crawled up to the top of the Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan, but instead ...the entire crew for the shoot was atop the roof of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Lynn was able to stay and watch my interview, and luckily I was able to see her and her "thumbs up" signs of encouragement. Tim, the director, gave me hints about questions I might like to answer. All I could think of was "the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true" and then a crew member wanted to put a mike on me, and I asked him if he had a medical degree to be able to do that.

When he slipped the cord up the back of my jacket, I said " Oooh, that feels pretty good." The crew guys laughed, but I was still shaking inside.

A man walked up to me and told me where my mark was, and I was supposed to stand there without moving or shaking. Uh-huh. They let me sit my Diet Coke down on the rooftop close to my mark. I was already drying up. Then I was so nervous, I did my impression of Katherine Hepburn or Doris Day or somebody singing "Que Sera, Sera."

Then Tim presented ideas about my interests in classic film, and I tried to speak something that made sense. I was not ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille.

All of a sudden we were finished, and they all thanked me, and they all had been laughing. Lynn said everything went well. So one day interested viewers might see the finished product on Turner Classic Movies fan perspectives.

Then we went to the festival studio headquarters, and I saw HIM. Robert Osborne! Tah-Dah!

He was so nice to everyone.

Lynn was there to help introduce "The Magnificent Ambesons" with Robert Osborne, and she was so calm, cool, and collected. They both had a nice on-camera conversation about the film and I think, the festival.

I was still so nervous, so Lynn can probably fill in the gaps in my saga if she has a mind to. That is where I met two ladies from where I live in Texas, and none of us could believe we were all there together at the festival.

I also developed a crush on one of the crew members and struck up a very casual conversation, and informed him, by the way, that every hotel room comes with its own "Do Not Disturb" sign. Lynn, then pulled me away, and we went to Room 828 in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to unpack. I wanted to collapse from all the nervous energy and adrenalin. And I did.

Our next move was lunch at the In and Out Burger with friends from TCM City and the Silver Screen Oasis. More later, O.K.?

Sincerely,

Sue2

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Oh my gosh, SueSue, LOL, I can't tell you how much fun I had reading this, and I am so jealous!! You probably could have used Max Von Mayerling to help with your make-up -- "If Madam will pardon me, the shadow over the left eye is not quite balanced" But I just know you looked smashing and utterly beguiling!! Can't wait for your next installment. Congrats!!

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After regrouping and sprucing up our looks, Lynn and I donned our badges again and bounded out to the elevator to meet with our friends from TCM City downstairs in the spacious lobby area across from Club TCM, which hadn't officially opened yet.

Several regular posters at TCM CITY walked a few blocks from the Historic Hollywood Roosevelt to have the classic burgers, fries, and traditionally delicious chocolate shakes at the In and Out Burger, and they are great! We don't have that franchise in Texas, but we should. Service was quick and we all settled in for lunch in the booths directly across from the cashier to chow down and to chat up.

I almost dribbled catsup from my fries on my blouse because I was laughing, and talking so much,

and asking questions. ( I was still pumping adrenalin from the filming of the fan perspectives in the a.m.)

Then somebody spilled their coke.

Everybody was chatting about the schedule, and we were discussing the films we have chosen to see, and how much fun we knew we were going to have. Some remembered snippets:

Would Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz present a film together?

How about Robert Osborne and Alec Baldwin?

Would Louise Rainer be able to come because of the airport being shut down in the UK due to the

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Oh my golly, Miss Applegate... what a fun read. (Oh me, I have not been this "green" with envy since the big 15 yr anniversary fan programmer thing, ha) Glad to hear all the exciting tales! Thanks very much. (looking forward to more!)

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All the gals from the lunch bunch had an hour and a half to spruce up our looks and make final style decisions for the "Meet and Greet" when Club TCM finally opens its doors to the swankienda.

Fekkai, the style salon, had generously offered free hairstyles to anyone holding passes to the TCM Film Festival.

How gracious! But unfortunately, I didn't have time to take advantage of the generosity of Fekkai.

However, some of the ladies from the lunch bunch had earlier visited the salon to the stars of TCM at Fekkai and sported new "do's." (They all looked great, BTW.)

And as I had expressed my frazzled fears about how to arrange my locks, one of my friends who had already graced the Fekkai salon offered to help me.

Since I was planning to attend the Grauman's premiere of *A Star is Born*, I had chosen to wear my full-length Chinese formal with the mandarin collar. Decisions yet to be made included selecting the appropriate jewelry, shoes, and hairstyle.

I was still, however, suffering from periodic bouts of adrenalin rushes, silly spurts of inappropriate laughter, and indecision over which films to attend on the official TCM Film Fest Schedule as aftershocks of my earlier fan perspective interview in the a.m.

Madamoiselle, my kindly volunteer personal stylist, was scrupulously perusing my down do and we had mutually decided to upsweep.

Me: If my son sees my fan perspective and doesn't like it, it will be something else he will add to his arsenal of verbal volleyballs dating back to the time I accidentally left him in the produce aisle at the grocery store...

Me: I can't decide between the mid-level heel or to go all the way with the complete high heel. And I'm not talking about my ex-husbands...

Mlle. HAHhahahahhah...but why are you so confused?

Me: Well, I am already about nine feet tall...

Mlle. When I can't make up my mind like that, I usually choose something that makes me feel good.

Me: Then I'll go all the way. So my official premiere look will be the "Chinese tower of power" stance..

Mlle: hahahahaha...

So, thanks to the Madamoiselle I had a lovely upswept "do" with little oriental flowers tucked and anchored with Goody hairpins, and she steered me toward the approprate earrings-- a pair of rhinestone-studded inverted fleur de lis bobs and my black beaded bag with the swag... done. Finally.

And one of my friends here at TCM City emailed me last week and told me that viewers of TCM can see the final creation in the Chinese dress with the Mandarin collar and simple rhinestone earrings and black beaded purse walking into the premiere of A Star is Born on the TCM promo for the restoration of *A Star is Born*.

I'm in the last few seconds of the promo. I'm walking into the theater from the lobby!

Next: CLUB TCM OPENS, *A STAR IS BORN* PREMIERE, the tall man with the BUICK, and BETTY AND ESTHER BY THE POOL!

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As you know, my sister and I were around for some of the hi-jinx. We wouldn't trade it for anything. You were _So_ fun. I can't wait to read the next installment. And Sue Sue, we're countin' on you to be there next year.

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SueSue, I keep picturing you as Barbara Stanwyck in her beautiful Chinese outfit from THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN.

Oooh, Fekkai is sexy! I could use his help as I think my hair is starting to resemble the heads of those crones in THE WITCHES. He reminds me of that Indian wellness guru to the stars, what is his name, the memory again is fading...

Needless to say, your blog is TREMENDOUS!!

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> Oooh, Fekkai is sexy! I could use his help as I think my hair is starting to resemble the heads of those crones in THE WITCHES. He reminds me of that Indian wellness guru to the stars, what is his name, the memory again is fading...

>

Deepak Chopra?

I think it's so classy that TCM did this for the ladies. I hope Mr Fekkai is available

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> > Oooh, Fekkai is sexy! I could use his help as I think my hair is starting to resemble the heads of those crones in THE WITCHES. He reminds me of that Indian wellness guru to the stars, what is his name, the memory again is fading...

> >

>

> Deepak Chopra?

Thanks, Miss G., that's the name! He and Fekkai have dark good looks, much charisma, and "fan" followings.

>

> I think it's so classy that TCM did this for the ladies. I hope Mr Fekkai is available

> for next year's festival! My hair needs all the help it can get!

Yep, very classy of them. I sympathize, and am getting so desperate about the state of my own hair that if I'm ever lucky enough to attend a TCM festival, I'd probably cut it short like Jean Seberg's in BONJOUR, TRISTESSE. Brilliant, n'est pas?

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I adore that movie the more I see it. I watched yesterday until Andrew and Alice got back from visiting Grandma. I want that red bathing suit she wears in the first full color scene. And the villa..... of course.